The first day of spring break started with a yawn as I had
been up most the night with Grayson and Matalley complaining of sore throats, tummy
aches and ear aches. My first morning ‘to-do’ was to contact the doctor for
appointments. While waiting for the 8:30 office opening, I decided to work on
the school yearbook that I inadvertently agreed to create. Really it’s 8:29 (and
a few seconds) office opening because if you wait until 8:30, you get a busy
signal until at least 8:50 and that can set you back to 2 o’clock for a sick
visit….no way I could wait until then with the complaining and the neediness of
relief. So I watch the clock with an abnormal ticking of the head, waiting for
the exact minute I can press ‘talk’ on my phone.
In my haste of editing school pictures, I deleted a few
kids. A quick call to the yearbook company reloaded the program so now instead
of just moving a few pictures, I’m having to approve (one by one) each school
picture for the book, including retakes. A big job now just got that much
bigger…woohoo (said in flat tone). If I had been thinking, I should have
assumed that if any of the Moms of those missing kids throw a fit, I can just
hand over the yearbook to them to do next year…that would have been brilliant. It
was at that point that Millie decided to smash a bottle of nail polish
over the tile floor splattering pink polish up the wall, cabinet, rug and
herself. She is in that stage where she grabs something from one room, takes it
to the other and drops it and picks up something else and you are basically on
a scavenger hunt the entire day putting things back into place. The nail polish
was an added bonus because it took me 20 extra minutes to clean it all up so I
was that much further behind in the “scavenger hunt.” I debated if I had time
for a shower before the doctor appointments and decided it was worth the risk.
A recent Mom report card had my kids giving me an ‘F’ in the “Does your parent
teach you the importance of being on time?” question, but I really deemed the
shower necessary after my night of holding sickies. After getting ready, it was
time to get Millie ready…diapers are really only good 10-12 hours and I was
pushing 15 which could explain the slight rash that is developing. Too bad it
doesn’t slow her down in scavenger hunt mode. I got her all dressed and walked
over to the other kids to verify that all shoes and clothes were on
appropriately. Lola needed a redo which gave Millie exactly enough
time to undress completely. On my way out the door, I grabbed a pacifier from the
cabinet (just in case baby girl decided to take a nap) and knocked over a baby
food jar of green peas. Glass and green goo splattered everywhere. I left most
of the goo but had to grab the glass in case the deaf and blind Deaky dog came
across a good smell of peas and licked it all down without bypassing the glass. So
much for being on time to the doctor…who cares if I get an F in timeliness?
Filing all 5 of us into the exam room and maintaining sanity
is in itself a process. Those rooms echo like a big ol’ cavern offering no hope
of escape. It’s after we get in the room that I discover green pea splatter in
my hair and up my back…what a lovely picture for the receptionist. The check-up
revealed not just an ear infection, but a ruptured ear-drum for Grayson and 2 cases of
strep throat. We were given 3 prescriptions for antibiotics (might as well
start Lola on it because she’s likely to get strep
anyway…thank goodness Millie is acting fine). Then file us all out, pay
our bill and head to the grocery store for the antibiotics, new toothbrushes
and some comfort food. I leave Grayson at the pharmacy to sleep in a waiting
chair…he can barely stand up, while rushing through the aisles grabbing
toothbrushes, Gatorade, soup, nail polish remover (Millie cleaned me
out), crackers, cabbage (it’s St. Patty’s day tomorrow) and anything else Millie screams for. We swing back by for the meds (which despite insurance,
cost WAY too much) and Grayson and head to check out. I like long lines and
slow grocery baggers. They teach me so much about patience and remaining calm. On
the way home, I call Matt to apologize for not meeting him for lunch. He
kindly explains that he was too busy to even think about eating. Turns out a
pseudo Sadler filed our tax return for us using my social security number and
may be enjoying a nice refund right now. Matt was on the phone to the IRS
thru lunch so I don’t have to worry about being a no show! Sadly, the indoor
water park and hotel we have reservations for tomorrow are non-refundable and
since my ruptured ear-drum kid can’t swim until he’s healed, vacation may be
especially sad for him. I have a few minutes to deal with the gas company and a
double bill charge, the health insurance bill, and more coddling of the sickies
before hitting my wits’ end for the day. It’s all requiring more patience than
I can muster.
Our first day of spring break plans for the discovery center
and lunch with Dad are long out the window but there is still some hope of
redeeming the day. I can have lunch ready by 2, get everyone the first round of
antibiotics and manage a load of laundry, including green pea washcloths (said
in my head with a twinge of irony).
I want to go on a LONG vacation from any and every
responsibility (really that is a thought that pops into my mind at least once a
day as I contemplate how far I could get before anyone would notice I was
missing. It’s not that far; hiding out in the garage only buys me 10 minutes on
average). I’m sure you have
your own stories today…I can’t be the only one that has ever had green pea goo
down her backside. What are you wanting a vacation from?
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